After Effects
by flying-cars
Summary: The war was over, but Ron was dead. Months passed, but neither Fred or Hermione were ready to move on. Harry and George try to make them smile again but maybe all they need is each other.


At the Battle of Hogwarts, the Weasley's all felt a shock of horror as they saw the wall about to collapse on one of the twins - Fred, it looked like, since he had both ears. But Fred was oblivious to the shaking brick, and everyone was too far away to do anything about it.

Well, they thought they were.

Ron Weasley appeared out of the bright lights and dust, roaring out a sound of desperation, and pushed Fred out of the way precisely when it collapsed under the force of yet another spell.

Bewildered and slightly angry he missed his target, Fred wheeled around to have a go at whoever had the nerve to knock into him. He felt himself deflate when he saw the rubble, a bit of blood, a flash of hair, and heard the screaming that began.

Hermione Granger was the first one to run forward, but Fred caught her around the waist. He didn't know what spell caused the wall to collapse, but it could still have deadly after effects.  
"Let me go!" Hermione screeched, thrashing against his hold. "I can fix him! I can still heal him!"

Sobs caught in her throat and Fred felt the fight drain out of her. She buried her head in his neck and Fred felt his shirt become damp very quickly.

Everyone was devastated at the death of one of the trio, but none more than Fred and Hermione.

It had been six months, and they were still mourning. It's stupid, but they still felt Ron's absence. For Hermione, she had lost the boy she loved long before she had a chance to say so. For Fred, it was the brother he teased mercilessly, the one who sacrificed his own life to save the prankster.

"Survivors guilt," Hermione would say.  
"Common sense," Fred would retort.

Though the rest of the Weasley's still grieved, it didn't compare to the depths of Hermione's and Fred's. George couldn't get Fred to laugh properly, and Harry couldn't even interest Hermione in a book.

Hermione knew it was unhealthy to sink into this state, but she was completely apathetic to the situation. Fred was similar, but they tried to avoid talking about it. They just wanted to pretend there was nothing wrong, just for a little while longer.

The two took to sitting beneath a thick tree overlooking a small pond in the Weasley's backyard. They sat shoulder to shoulder in silence, sometimes for an hour. Usually, the weather called them back inside before long.

"I wish he was here," Hermione whispered to Fred one day. The ripples in the water caught her attention so she missed the look of slight surprise on Fred's face.  
"So do I," he murmured, clasping Hermione's hand in his own. Hermione took great comfort from the small action and leaned her head against his shoulder. Tears began to escape her eyes once again.

After a few minutes, Hermione dried her eyes. The two slowly walked back inside, Hermione's hair whipping around her face. Fred smiled and helped her hold it back, making her giggle. They were oblivious to the watchful eyes of George and Harry, who were sneakily spying on the two through the back window.

"Maybe they're getting better?" Harry suggested meekly. George shrugged a large shoulder.  
"Maybe," George said, but he remained unconvinced. Until he saw his twin laughing and joking, he would never be convinced.

The rest of the Weasley's had set out on a trip to Diagon Alley, which Fred and Hermione predictably declined earlier that morning. It was just Hermione, the twins and Harry at the Burrow, and George and Harry had a plan.

The fire had warmed up the sitting room perfectly when Fred and Hermione entered, the latter not realising how cold it had actually been outside. She rubbed her hands over her arms to speed up the heat.

George cleared his throat, sitting on one of the many armchairs scattered in the sitting room. Harry was sitting on the couch with a kind smile on his face.  
"Fancy a game of snap?" he asked Hermione directly, who looked to Fred as an answer. He looked at her confusedly.  
"He's asking you, not me," he murmured, nudging her softly. Hermione nodded.  
"Oh, I don't know Harry," Hermione said. "I'm feeling kind of tired."

Harry's eyes narrowed in on her feet, which had unconsciously shuffled a little bit closer to Fred. "Come on," he encouraged. "You're the only person who'll play this with me. Pretty please, Hermione?"

Hermione succumbed to the dazzling green eyes of her best friend. "Alright," Hermione conceded. "Muggle snap or Exploding Snap?"  
Harry beamed at her and offered her two decks. Rolling her eyes at his immaturity, Hermione decided that she didn't have enough energy for Exploding Snap, and picked the muggle deck.

Fred watched as Hermione split the deck in half with ease, offering the other to Harry. She sat on the other side of the coffee table with her back to the heat of the fire, crossing her legs Indian style. Harry mirrored her.

Wandering over to sit beside her, Fred didn't notice George come and join the small party. Judgment clouded Fred's face as Harry yelled _snap! _loudly and slammed his hand on the deck.  
"You have an unfair advantage with your seeker skills," Hermione mumbled as Harry placed the cards with the rest of his deck, a satisfied grin on his face.  
"Maybe," was all Harry said as they continued the game.

"Looks boring," Fred said all of a sudden. Hermione shot him a dirty look. "And you're losing," he added.  
"Go play your own game then," Hermione sniffed, concentrating even harder on the game. She slammed her hand down, only just beating Harry.

Fred looked to George who had already set up the Exploding Snap in the classical formation. Fred thought George looked a bit... expectant, and he didn't like that at all. Regardless, he figured that if Hermione could humor Harry, he could humor George. Fred slid his wand out of his sleeve, George following suit. He tapped the cards with his wand and they immediately began shuffling themselves.

Thinking that George was going to go easy on him, Fred promised himself he'd try his hardest. To his pleasure, George seemed to be giving it his all, occasionally tapping the wrong cards to make them explode, just to see if Fred was paying attention.

Harry and Hermione finished their game long before the twins did, Hermione less than thrilled she had been the victim of an exploding card multiple times. She moved away from the table to the couch beside Harry, leaning into his side gently. She closed her eyes and listened to the twins battle.

"Oi, you numptie! You did that on purpose!"  
"Did not! Merlin and Agrippa look exactly alike!"  
"Agrippa's a _woman!_"  
"He's actually a man, brother of mine."

Fred scowled at George's know-it-all tone and, in a childish move, tapped all the cards within reach, making them all explode over everyone at the table.

"Fred!" Hermione screeched, wiping her eyes in disgust. Fred started laughing, missing the looks of agreement between Harry and Hermione. The two pounced on Fred, Harry doing a rather impressive leap over the table to do so. With their combined weight they managed to hold him down on the ground.

"Gred! Help me!" Fred shouted, but George simply shook his head and chuckled. Sensing his desertion, Fred took an opportunity to trip Harry over, making him slip onto his stomach, and rolled over taking Hermione with him.

Grinning widely, Fred began tickling Hermione mercilessly.

"No! Stop!" Hermione shrieked, writhing underneath Fred. "Ha-r-r-ry!"

Harry and George grinned at each other and quickly made their escape up the stairs, leaving Hermione at Fred's mercy. He eased up on her and she took the sweet relief to draw breath, trying to crawl away.

"Oh no you don't," Fred grinned, resuming tickling her. His knees were on either side of her hips to limit her movement.  
"Fred Weasley! Let me go-o-o!"

Hermione's laughter turned into some form of sobs and, taking pity on her, Fred ceased his ministrations. Hermione's chest heaved underneath him, capturing his attention. An arm was thrown dramatically over Hermione's eyes.

"I hate you," she grumbled. Fred grinned and lifted her arm off her face, making direct eye contact with her brown orbs.  
"No you don't," he said. "No one ever hates me. It's George they hate."  
Rolling her eyes, Hermione propped herself onto her elbows. "Are you going to get off me?" she questioned with a raised brow. "You're really heavy."  
"Would you like me to get off you?"

Their eyes met and Hermione couldn't help the blush that rose to her cheeks. There was something about Fred's eyes, laced with a keen glint of mischief, that warmed her to the bone. She found his brown eyes far more enrapturing than Ron's blue.

"You haven't answered my question."  
"Yes, get off me, you heffalump."

Fred smirked and leaped off Hermione immediately, instead choosing to lie down beside her, also propped up on his elbows. "What's a heffalump?"  
"You are," Hermione said sweetly.

Fred snorted and quickly changed positions, lying on his stomach facing the fire. Hermione followed suit in a much slower fashion.

Their hands met and clasped together on the rough carpet. It was in this position they stayed until Fred's hand began to sweat from the heat of the fire.

"Thank you," Fred said, pulling his hand away. He sat up.  
"For what?" Hermione asked. She, too, sat up and wiped her hands on her jeans.  
"For... I dunno. Being patient. Helping me. That sort of stuff." Fred rubbed the back of his neck, feeling slightly embarrassed.  
But Hermione only smiled. "We're helping each other," she said firmly.  
Fred smiled and swooped forward, kissing Hermione on the cheek softly. She smiled wider.

Harry and George had crept down the stairs when they heard silence and had seen most of the encounter.

"You don't think -" Harry began.  
"No way," George said immediately. "Fred couldn't..."  
"Well, what's wrong with Hermione?" Harry demanded. George shook his head.  
"Nothing! I just thought he liked Angelina Johnson."

Harry looked back at his best friend, who was holding Fred's hand and leaning her head on his shoulder.

"I suppose not," he said.


End file.
